Saturday Chat

Lowell's leaders are making it happen

The Lowell Sun

Updated:
10/13/2012 07:11:08 AM EDT

By Kendall Wallace

LOWELL -- When the modern history of the transformation of the city of Lowell is written, the decision by the state government to move forward with the $175 million Judicial Center will be one of the top five or six projects cited for its dynamic impact.

The stunning replica of the potential courthouse that appeared in The Sun this week will anchor the 13-acre Hamilton Canal District redevelopment, which, when completed, will have expanded the city's downtown by one third with commerce, industry and new downtown residents.

Between the courthouse, the Appleton Mills redevelopment, the Lowell Community Health Center, the restored Pellon building, a new parking garage and several new buildings, bridges and roads, about $800 million will be spent and thousands of people will be living and working in the new district.

Of interest to me is how these things continue to happen here, in a tough economy and difficult state and city budgets.

The combination of the city becoming a college town and a center for the arts and entertainment, along with huge investments in the health-care field, are totally transforming this old industrial community.

The courthouse represents about 20 percent of the massive renewal project, but it is a critical element as one of the anchors that brings private investment in terms of office buildings, restaurants and shops. The court facility had lingered so long that I had begun to fear it was never going to happen. The state's economy was one reason for delay, but I was afraid there were political implications that were keeping the city from securing a modern judicial center.

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That fear subsided when our Statehouse delegation happily announced it was being included in the capital budget.

In the meantime, work continues in the canal district, with the health center finishing up its $42 million reconstruction of the Hamilton Mills and the totally rebuilt Appleton Mills, now housing hundreds more artists and artisans.

These two projects provided a couple of years work for hundreds of construction folks. The principal developer, Trinity Financial, which built the Appleton Mills apartments, are now totally rebuilding the former Pellon Building, which will eventually house offices and light manufacturing. New roads, bridges and parking are also in the works in the district.

The new health center will open the day after Christmas and will serve 50,000 patients, bringing a huge spark of activity to an area that once was a borderline slum.

It took great vision and courage for the project that has now been through three city administrations.

The Hamilton Canal redevelopment was the dream of then-City Manager Brian Martin who saw the opportunity to bring back to life this dormant area where thousands of people worked in factories during the textile-mill era.

He started to lay out a long-term plan to acquire the property and control the redevelopment of 13 acres. He was followed by City Manager John Cox, who supported the city planning and development office in advancing the property takings and in building a controversial parking garage. It took guts on the manager's part and the City Council's part to move forward with a major parking project long before anything else was built.

The administration of City Manager Bernie Lynch has taken it to a new level, selecting Trinity Financial as the main developer. Trinity Financial is widely recognized as among the best in bringing new life back into sites in gateway cities.

While all that is going on, we have also seen the dramatic impact the growth of UMass Lowell under Chancellor Marty Meehan has had on the city.

I went to the grand opening of the new technology center at the university on Thursday, when about 500 people heard loud praise from Gov. Deval Patrick, who pledged his continued support for what is happening at the school.

It sounded like a lovefest as speaker after speaker lauded the governor for his investment in Lowell.

I had feared there was not a warm relationship between the governor's office and the Lowell delegation in the House of Representatives. It sure didn't sound that way, particularly as the dean of the Lowell group, Rep. Tom Golden, couldn't have been stronger in his praise of Patrick.

After his anointment of the governor, Golden had a real Lowell line -- "What's next for Lowell." And that's the attitude that has worked well for the city for so long.

U.S. Rep. Niki Tsongas and Sen. Eileen Donoghue also worked hard on the Patrick administration, pointing out how critical the state investment was to the most ambitious renewal project ever undertaken by the city.

Lowell had a wonderful delivery system for many years, with great partnerships between the private sector and local, state and federal government leaders.

In this ugly economic climate, there has not been a lot to deliver.

Despite that fact, the city has done pretty well with federal and state support for the colleges, Hamilton Canal and health-care projects.

So we need to be grateful for our elected officials who helped make all this happen. When the country gets to full recovery, this region should be in pretty good financial shape.

The investments being made are bringing a once thriving section of the city back to life. Already I'm hearing of a major company buying a building in the area for his company and could be moving nearly 200 employees into the area.

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